Without a doubt the cool climate Loire Valley deserves to be one of the world’s heavyweights when it comes to wine. It is arguably where the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc is made and that’s what most people know it for. But otherwise it can be somewhat overlooked. Some think that because it is so far north, the wines don’t achieve that sweet ripeness needed to become commercial and mainstream. Maybe that’s a good thing for the curious wine drinker.

Over this three part series we’ll look at what Loire does well in addition to the crisp, racy whites from Sauvignon Blanc, including some amazingly distinctive reds made from Cabernet Franc and not forgetting the best wine match for oysters in the shape of Muscadet. First of all, though, I think the famous Sauvignon Blanc producing sub-regions of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé merit a short post of their own.

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are to the far east of the Loire, actually closer to Chablis (northern Burgundy) than Muscadet in the region’s far west. Sancerre is a hilltop town (pictured, in the distance) on the left bank of the Loire River, and the area surrounding it has been a prime site for viticulture since Roman Times. It was in the 1970s that the modern commercial success of both Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé really got underway as they became the must have white for any quality restaurant.

Within the Sancerre region itself are varied terroirs, and by that I mean areas with a different soil make-up and micro-climate, which directly effect the style of the wine, sometimes in a very subtle way and sometimes not. The western vineyards predominantly consist of clay and limestone, which can make the wine quite powerful and intense. The more gravely vineyards lend more restraint and elegance, while the flint (silex) laden soils closer to the town can produce wines that are long living and particularly perfumed with excellent minerality and notes of ‘gunflint’.

On the other side of the river, the wines of Pouilly-Fumé from mainly limestone based soils produce a similar style. A blind tasting of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé would be a tough test for any wine drinker, but Pouilly-Fumé wouldn’t tend to be quite as diverse in terms of terroir. Some vineyards are rich in flint, however, so that distinctive smoky gunflint character can be found in the better wines. What Pouilly-Fumé doesn’t do is red wine. Sancerre has some success with light reds and rosés made from Pinot Noir. Both can use oak in their Sauvignon Blanc, but more often than not it is only to give texture and palate weight as opposed to making the wine taste oaky.

Ultimately both regions produce very lean, green and racy Sauvignon Blanc’s with glorious palate cleansing acidity. Like everywhere you’ll get some that don’t do justice, but in general both regions produce high quality wines. They can be enjoyed on their own, or ruined with anything sweet (sweet and acid don’t mix – it will make the wine taste bitter), so when pairing with food go for something with high acidity. Traditionally the goats cheese of Sancerre is one of the best natural matches, but any good Irish goats cheese will do the same job.

In part 2 we’ll explore the other white wines of Loire Valley, as well as a little sparkling wine. Click here to view our sale on Loire wines.

Now I’ve seen my fair share of impractical wine opening tools, everything from exotic lever actions to the most expensive and sophisticated electronic corkscrews, most of which don’t last a lick. Only last week I spotted a six piece wine gourmet kit in a shop, supposedly for ‘professionals’. I remember thinking it would be like constructing an M16 rifle from scratch. How many waiters or waitresses do you see in a restaurant carrying around corkscrews the size of army rifles?

Although I don’t see the bottle opener/pourer in the attached video as being the next craze in restaurants and households around the country, it is an extraordinarily brilliant gadget that reminded me of something you might see in Doc Emmett Brown’s workshop. You gotta see Back to the Future III to get that. I mean, did you see how much it took to make those ice cubes? Never mind travel back to the future.

There is of course only one corkscrew that I’ll entertain. It’s the cheapest,  most reliable and easiest to use – the waiter’s friend. I have one at home, I carry one in the glove compartment of my car and I’ve loads here in the shop. Very handy until we finally make a full transition to the superior screwcap. Just thought I’d get that one in there!

Thanks to Catherine at Macroom Enterprise Centre for tweeting the link to the above video

The use of reserve, reserva or riserva on a bottle of wine is common. Maybe too common. The term came about when winemakers decided to ‘reserve’ their best wine and not put a select batch to market right away, or even at all. So very early on the term became associated with quality. Today a lot of people base their wine buying decision on this term because they see it as an assured stamp of quality from the winemaker, when a lot of the time it doesn’t mean anything at all.

For wines from Chile and the United States for example, reserve doesn’t necessarily mean more time in bottle or more time in oak. It is purely down to the winemakers discretion. In Chile they’ll often use reserva and gran reserva to distinguish between the standard wines and the premium wines in their range. There is nothing to govern their practices and how they label. They could have one wine labelled ‘super duper kick ass Gran Reserva’ and nothing would be said.

In Spain however, it does mean something. Not necessarily that one wine is better than the other, but that it has been treated differently in the winery and should offer a different style. Red Crianza has been aged for at least two years, and at least six months of this time has been spent in oak. Semi-Crianza is half of this. Reserva reds are at least three years old and have seen a minimum of one year in oak, with Gran Reserva undergoing a minimum of five years aging, at least 18 months in oak and additional time in bottle before release to market.

It’s easy to see why the there is such a price difference between a joven (young wine) and a Gran Reserva. But even with such an investment you can’t please all palates. Many people don’t like oaky wines, instead enjoying the fresh, fruity and straightforward characteristics of the young wines fermented in stainless steel tanks and more or less bottled immediately. It is worth noting that requirements can change between regions, in Spain as well as in Italy (where you would see ‘riserva’ used), so if it matters to you do check with your trusty wine merchant for more accurate information on the wine at hand.

The range from Bodegas Vallobera includes wines from Joven through to Reserva.

I came across a thread on boards.ie a few days ago started by a chap who feels that he’s been swindled every time he receives a wine in a restaurant that is of a different vintage to that advertised on the wine list. You can see it here and decide for yourself whether you think he’s got a point or if he’s just being ultra fussy. Perhaps he’s being something in between.

My advice to the restaurants would be to conveniently omit the vintage from the wine list. I suspect vintage changes go unnoticed when new stock arrives because it’s simply not seen as a priority and the staff don’t realise some people actually do care. As well as that it’s just not practical to print off a new set of menus every time a new vintage lands. I know myself, it’s a tricky job keeping on top of new vintages, and that’s a wine merchant speaking.

Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think the majority of restaurant customers even notice the vintage or take any consideration of it. So if they are the type who do care, they can simply ask the waiter/ess to find out what current vintage is available in whatever wine they’re interested in. If they are only interested in vintage when choosing the wine then they probably need to get a life, but it shouldn’t be a problem for a member of staff to check out even four or five wines that are in stock and note the vintages for the customer.

The other question this thread raises is how well equipped restaurant staff in Ireland are to deal with questions from customers, not necessarily on vintages, but on how the wine should taste and what it might pair well with. I never hold a grudge against a waiter/ess who doesn’t know anything about the wine they are selling, but maybe I take that for granted in an Irish restaurant – that they won’t know anything about the wine list they’ve just handed me. I also wouldn’t feel it’s right to complain to the person serving because it’s not their fault that their superiors haven’t arranged basic wine training for them.

With wine becoming a more important part of the dining experience in Ireland I do think it is time restaurants started paying more attention to the added value of the wine list. This doesn’t apply to everyone by the way, as I can think of plenty who do take it seriously. And for the others that have room to improve, I don’t think staff need to know about the supposedly superb vintage Bordeaux had in 2009, but a basic understanding and knowledge of what they are selling wouldn’t do a button of harm as it will only go to improve the customer experience. These days most wine suppliers are happy to provide basic wine training in restaurants, so is there any excuse or are we starting to get too ‘picky’?

Careful now! Here’s an advert for DB Export beer that gave me a chuckle so I thought I’d post it here. Sure why not?

Perhaps this shows up one of the problems facing New Zealand brewers. That’s getting people to drop wine for beer in a country that has a very strong and patriotic appetite for a product they excel in. In Ireland it’s almost the opposite as more and more beer drinkers are discovering wine.

I love beer myself, and you’ll know by following me on twitter I’m a real sucker for good stout, but what I do know from experience is that there is more than enough room on the palate for both good beer and good wine. If you enjoy the excitement and discovery around food and drink, you’ll know that yourself.

Of course the best Irish beers are not produced by the big players. It’s the same with wine in a lot of ways. It’s those little guys with a passion and a focus on making something with genuine character who are making the best stuff.

A few names worth looking out for include the recently formed Dungarvan Brewery. A very small operation, these guys are starting to distribute further afield and they’re receiving great acclaim nationwide.

Porterhouse is Dublin is another fantastic operation. I discovered them on Nassau Street purely by chance. Try their Wrasslers XXXX stout for a taste of what your grandad used to drink. Here in Cork, the Francisan Well needs no introduction, and in some supermarkets and independents you’ll be able to pick up beers from the Carlow Brewing Company.

Lastly, look out for the Whitewater Brewery located at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Co. Down. I got access to these through a supermarket and it was one of the brands that kick started my micro brewery fetish.

Feel free to add more recommendations below if you see fit. There’s loads of choice.

The 6th edition of the International Seminar on Successful Wines & Styles was held last week in Argentina. Twelve winemakers from around the world focused their lectures on how wines of the future should be, and the general consensus was fruity and sweet, with less oak and lower alcohol.

Erm, okay, but what if you want a dry, oaky, powerhouse red? Well, I don’t think their intention is to have all wines taste the same. The supermarkets are doing a good enough job of commercialising wine and we’ll leave them at it. I think this panel was simply trying to stress the importance of balance that can be achieved in the vineyard and in the winery.

“Care should be taken with the amount of oak, alcohol and over ripening. We have tasted many wines with a fruit base spoilt due to the excessive use of oak.”

Alastair Maling, New Zealand winemaker

Oak should be used to temper those young wines that are a little rough around the edges, or to impart flavours that complement all the other components of the wine. It shouldn’t be masking the greatness of terroir or of the variety itself.

Combating high alcohol in wines is a big challenge for the modern winemaker. With global warming, a warmer climate is causing riper fruit and ultimately higher alcohol. It’s a big test for winemakers in the worst affected regions. For years they may have relied on consistent temperatures and weather conditions. Now they have to watch their stock like a hawk. Pick too early and you won’t get the required flavour profile. Pick too late and you’ve got a high alcohol fruit bomb that 8 out of 10 of us won’t like.

“We have to respect our terroir, and if our climate changes, we have to change our varietal wines.”

Gilles Pauquet, French winemaker, speaking about Malbec in Argentina.

Scientists have been hard at work trying to better understand what exactly causes the early ripening of grapes. Warming, sunlight, soil moisture and vineyard management all play a role in grape maturation, but with new research conducted in Australia a more analytical approach can be used in vineyard management that will provide more control and minimise early ripening.

For example, by increasing irrigation or laying down mulch, growers can manage soil moisture and by changing their pruning regime, they can alter crop yields. Also, by choosing root stocks that are less sensitive to plant stress hormones, or trimming leaves, growers can alter the response of the vine to lower humidity.

It’s all pretty technical stuff, but if it means you don’t have to rip up that crop of Malbec five years down the line, it might be something worth paying heed to.

Oregon lies on the west coast of the United States, just below the state of Washington and north of California. Is seems like a rather obscure place to be making world class wine, but that’s exactly what they’re doing there. A report from Silicon Valley Bank suggests sales of Oregon wines are expected to rise by 7%-10% this year, making it twenty straight years of growth for the American state’s wine industry.

Before Oregon started to be taken seriously it was California getting all the credit on the west coast, and it still does to a great extent. Having the major populous would have helped, but in fairness California worked hard to carve out its own great reputation in the wine industry with its big Cabernet’s and buttery Chardonnay’s attracting attention inside and outside of the US. Oregon, however, is a very different proposition. The regionality is quite distinctive, perhaps more old world than new.

According to the study, sales of Oregon wine have increased by 60% in the past five years and have nearly doubled in the past decade. While their Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling are on the up, it is the sales of Pinot Noir that is leading the growth at 10% annually. The landscape began to change whenever David Lett’s Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir cleaned up at an international wine tasting in the 70s. And who said no one could match Burgundy when it comes to Pinot Noir? Since then, Oregon has left many a Burgundian winemaker wanting.

The Willamette Valley in the northwestern corner of the state dominates Oregon production. It is close to the pacific coast and accessible from the state capital, Salem, and the state’s other key city, Portland (pictured). The cool climate is similar to northern France so it’s perfect for Pinot, of which tends to age well and have a lovely juicy, vibrant red cherry flavour. What a lot of people are missing, particularly here in Ireland, are the astonishing whites of Oregon, including creamy Pinot Gris and green apple-like Rieslings. These are easier to acquire in the United States, but more Irish importers are giving those outside of California a chance, so keep your eyes peeled. Don’t be expecting cheapy cheap, though.

Oregon wines sales up for the 20th year – check out this article.

Last year Muscat, also known as Moscato, overtook Sauvignon Blanc in terms of value and volume sold in the United States. Now the race is on to meet the demand that is expected in the years ahead. But for the relatively unspectacular grape variety that Muscat is, how has it managed to nudge aside one of the world’s heavyweight whites?

The secret to Muscat’s success has been largely due to its low cost production. It typically produces more than 20 tons per acre, a necessary yield to produce wines that can sell for less than $5 per bottle (cheap as chips!). Compare that yield per acre to that of Glaetzer’s Amon Ra, which will pull around 0.5 ton per acre. This is just to give a little perspective between cheap wine and fine wine.

Even at that, the final product can be remarkably inoffensive. A lot of people describe Muscat as floral and ‘grapey’. Could think of worse things. Its quaffability factor is aided by the low level of alcohol, often between 7% and 9% ABV (I think I’ve seen Australian Moscato Frizzante before at 6%), and many of them are off-dry or sweet in style with a slight effervescence, or fizz.

So is the Muscat wave going to hit us in the same way it has the United States? Will it knock Sauvignon Blanc of its perch, just like Sauvignon Blanc did with Chardonnay? Big producers like Gallo and Yellow Tail will be getting fully behind their own attempts this spring. We’ve got an Italian Frizzante Moscato coming into stock this weekend (pictured) and we’ll see how that goes before thinking about it any further.

I would be surprised if it could overtake Sauvignon Blanc as easily as it did in the US, but then look how Sauvignon buried Chardonnay in a relatively short time. It’s interesting to note that Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are first and second respectively in America. Watch this space, Ireland.

Pictured: Our new V8+ Moscato Dolce, just in. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about new additions and special offers.

My three brothers and I all share a common interest. We love football. So each year, this being our second year, we’ll head off together to watch a match in Europe. It’s a pact we made a few years ago that we’re determined not to break. Last year it was Real Madrid, and the weekend just past it was Barcelona. So you can see we’ve made an impressive start. Munich is pencilled in for next year. God willing.

Like last year, we had another early start Saturday morning, catching the 6.50am flight from Dublin. We got checked into our hostel around 11.30am local time. I would recommend to anyone staying in Barcelona, check out Casa Gracia. It is centrally located, spotlessly clean and superb value for money. With the match being played the following evening, we had Saturday to check out the city, and in true Kane form, sample the food and drink, which we did with glee. I can’t say it didn’t at times get a little messy, or Messi I should say.

On Sunday we went to see Gaudí’s Gothic masterpiece, Sagrada Família, which is the colossal Cathedral they’ve been building since 1882. I tried to prepare myself for it, I’d heard great things, but my jaw still hit the floor as I walked out of the subway. It is overwhelmingly impressive. Then to La Boqueria, Barcelona’s famous market which dates back to the 1200′s. The only problem with being a visitor is you really can’t take much back with you. That’s why I love being so close to the English Market and the Midleton Market in Cork, where the produce is different but just as good in its own right.

In Madrid we fell in love with the bar hopping and the tapas scene. In Barcelona it didn’t take us too long to realise that tapas are not in fact pivotal to the Catalan culture. We gathered that it was there more for the tourists, hence us. Although the quality was there, we were paying a slight premium compared to prices in the less frequented Madrid. We found ourselves making hard work of trying to find the kind of places that were in abundance on last years trip – small, old, rustic, independently owned eateries with real character that were packed with locals, had a roaring atmosphere, and who were serving up no nonsense, hearty tucker with cheap but very drinkable beer and wine.

Barcelona, is certainly more geared towards the tourist, but that’s not to say that we didn’t find consistently good food. There’s no doubt the ingredients they have at their disposal is something else. Not far from the city is the wine region of Penedès, so we were in the heart of Cava country. Brut Cava and Brut Cava Rosé both got a seeing to on the Saturday. The white Verdejo and the red crianza Rioja was also enjoyed, and it was easy to pick up a good bottle in a centrally located restaurant for around €12 or €13. So it was still comparatively cheaper to home.

Finally, the football, the whole experience only being enhanced by the venue, the incredible 98,000 capacity Camp Nou stadium, the biggest in Europe. This current Barcelona team is arguably the best football team the world has ever seen. That’s why we just had to see them while they were still in their pomp. The team who were at the end of the sword on Sunday night was Valencia, a brilliant club that we’re considering going to see in year 5 or 6 of our annual football trip. They scored the first, which I was hoping for, just to see the reaction from the Catalans. But what happened next was a massacre of intricate passing, heart-stopping skill, devastating pace and ruthless finishing. The man at the centre of it all – Lionel Messi – the little Argentine who could well be the greatest ever footballer ever.

On a whole, it was a fantastic weekend. Barcelona ticked all the right boxes, and whether you’re going for football, a romantic weekend or a family holiday, it comes highly recommended from us. But don’t forget the often forgotten Madrid for something a little more true to Spain.

In DO Toro, in Spain’s southwest, Tempranillo is called Tinta de Toro. In Ribera del Duero it can be referred to as Tinto Fino or Tinta del pais. In Do la Mancha it is often called Cencibel, or in Catalonia, Ull de Llebre. The most common name used for Spain’s indigenous and best known grape variety is of course Tempranillo, thought to be derived from temprano (early), due to its tendency to ripen earlier than other grape varieties.

Although this all sounds a little odd (why not just give the thing a common name we can all use!?), winemakers believe this conveys the concept that Tempranillo has an ability to adapt over centuries to different terroirs, or terruños as it is known in Spain, and climatic conditions to express an identity and character specific to each place of origin. Some liken it to Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir in the sense that it can take on minute variations in terroir.

As an example, Tinta de Toro bunches and grapes are smaller than those of the Tempranillo found in Rioja. With skins twice as thick and darker in colour, they have adapted to the greater temperature of the Duero Valley. The result is a very dark, inky colour; exuberant aromas, very expressive, concentrated flavours and one of the most powerfully structured wines from Spain.

In order to tame the beast, producers blend selected parcels from certain vineyards to achieve better balance, and many are now holding back release to market for a year or two to give the wines more time to mellow. Better winemaking allows for a wine to be crafted that is no longer over-extracted, over-oaked or too high in alcohol. Elegance and poise is the name of the game these days, although the beast still rears its head from time to time. Or at least a slightly more refined beast.

There’s still time to avail of 20% off all Spainish wines, including the Quinta el Refugio Tinta de Toro, on sale until the end of February.